Justice in Mexico

Texas Authorities Warn U.S. Citizens Against Travel to Nuevo Laredo

07/03/11—Texas authorities have released a travel warning advising U.S. citizens not to travel to Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, a city located on the U.S.-Mexican border. Steven McCraw, the director of the Department of Public Security in Texas, stated that due to information that his department recently received, it appears that Los Zetas- a notoriously violent criminal organization- is planning to increase its criminal activity, possibly through robbery, extortion, and kidnappings, and specifically targeted towards U.S. citizens. In response to the U.S. warning, the chief operating officer Mexico’s Tourism Board, Rodolfo López Negrete, stated that “some of the warnings are ridiculous and misinformed.” The government of Mexico added that most of the violence in Mexico happens outside of tourist destinations.

Nuevo Laredo is a twin city to Laredo, Texas and has long been an attraction for U.S. citizens. In large part due to the escalation of violence in Mexico since President Calderón launched his anti-narcotics strategy in 2006, tourism in border cities like Nuevo Laredo has decreased in recent years. “The State Department reported that 111 U.S. citizens died last year in Mexico, up from 35 in 2007,” stated BBC Mundo, however the cause of each death was not specifically given.

Sources:

“Las autoridades de Texas instan a los estadounidenses a no cruzar a México.” EFE. June 3, 2011.

“Texas advierte a residentes no viajar a Nuevo Laredo, México.” Univision. June 3, 2011.

“Texas pide a estadounidenses no ir a Nuevo Laredo, México.” BBC Mundo. June 3, 2011.

1 thought on “Texas Authorities Warn U.S. Citizens Against Travel to Nuevo Laredo”

  1. Me and my Mexican friend who lives in Mexico City had the crazy idea that we were going to go to Nuevo Laredo to check it out. We had 2 run-ins and 1 close call. The first mis-happ took place with a group of young teens, who attempted to rob us. Apparently, we ventured into the wrong neighborhood, in attempts to scope out the Rio Grande. We noticed that they were inhaling glue, and could barely even walk. Needless to say, there were 5 of them and 2 of us. The 2nd incident took place, while we were just walking down the Pacific Highway during the middle of the day. 2 teenage boys summoned us to come over to them, for what reason, we had no idea, but we high-tailed it out of there. Walking along the same highway, it appeared that a pick-up truck almost pulled over and stopped, but apparently they didn’t have room to pull over and just kept going. I can tell you, that I did not feel comfortable in that place whatsoever, and I will NEVER set foot in that city again!

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